Great Lakes Region

[KnightSlappy]

Knightslappy has updated his ranking for the RPI look, not quite updated with the PAC games this afternoon.
http://detroitjockcity.com/division-iii-mens-basketball-regional-rankings-data/

I think if you take those top nine, take out Albion and add PSU-Behrend you have the 9 likely teams that would be ranked if we ranked them this week.  First rankings are next Wednesday Feb 3.

No... first rankings Feb. 10.

There are only three public rankings and the season ends Feb. 28 with brackets announced Feb. 29.

Correct, release dates are Feb 10, 17, 24. So the first set of rankings will include games through Feb 7.

[KnightSlappy]

I think I'm finally current on the data, minus the postponements.

http://detroitjockcity.com/division-iii-mens-basketball-regional-rankings-data/

If rankings were coming out this week, I'd say

Ohio Wesleyan
John Carroll
Marietta
Alma
Hope
Trine
Wooster

would be safely ranked, and probably in that rough order (without doing a deep check on common opponents and the like).

Then it would come down to two of three of:

St. Vincent
Penn State-Behrend
Mount Union

Hiram would be next, but they don't seem to stack up particularly well with these three. Although they probably have better RROs and a common opponent advantage over PSU-B (La Roche).

[sac]

Updated thru Sun 1/31
       
John Carroll                     19-0
PSU-Behrend                  17-1
Hope                               15-1

------------------------.900

Ohio Wesleyan               17-2
Marietta                         17-2
Hilbert                           16-4

------------------------.800

Alma                             15-4
St. Vincent                   15-4
Trine                             13-5
Hiram                            13-5
Mt. Union                      13-5
Mt. St. Joseph              13-5
Wooster                        13-5

------------------------.700

Thomas More                12-6
Pitt-Greensburg            12-7
Wittenberg                    12-7
Grove City                     11-7
Bethany                        11-7
Denison                         11-7

------------------------.600

Manchester                    10-7
Oberlin                           10-7
Hanover                           10-8
Calvin                               8-8

-----------------------------------.500


Dropped: Baldwin-Wallace and Defiance, both have 9 losses which is not likely to be ranked.  There are 2 or 3 eight loss teams I've removed that I might reconsider adding back if they make it through next week without another loss.

Northcoast:   OWU and Wooster are now tied with a 3 game cushion back to 3rd.  Wooster has what is probably the last significant threat game remaining hosting Wittenberg the following week.  Witt took 2 losses last week and is probably squarely on a bubble of some kind.

MIAA:  Alma at Hope Saturday in a big game of importance to league and region, but many tough games remain for both teams.

OAC:   JCU, Marietta and Mt. Union have separated from the pack, they all play each other the final two weeks.  Capital has played all 3 tough in the 4 matchups with the top 3, they play at Marietta Wed. and host JCU Saturday. 

PAC:  St. Vincent leads over Thomas More by 2 full games with no head-to-head remaining, its all but clinched really unless they really screw up. 

HCAC:  MSJ now has a two game lead, nobody else is really in a ranking position

AMCC:  PSU-Behrend leads by 2 games in the loss column over Hilbert and Greensburg, all 3 play each other in the last 2 weeks.  Nothing much happening this week.

Wednesday Games
Wittenberg at Ohio Wesleyan
Denison at Oberlin
Bethany at Thomas More

Saturday
Alma at Hope
Wittenberg at Oberlin
Manchester at Hanover

[sac]

Knightslappy has his RPI type ranking updated through today.
http://detroitjockcity.com/division-iii-mens-basketball-regional-rankings-data/

Just like last week, probably remove Albion and replace them with PSU-Behrend and you get the 9 teams that would most likely be ranked.  I'm a little suspicious that they might find a way to include Mt.  St. Joseph and St. Vincent even though they probably shouldn't.

[KnightSlappy]

Still not sure what to do with Marietta and John Carroll, but they're 1-2. JCU probably has the edge due to the undefeated thing and the head-to-head thing.

So for our final fake rankings before the real rankings come out, I'd go with:

1. John Carroll
2. Marietta
3. Ohio Wesleyan
4. Alma
5. Hope
6. Wooster
7. Mount Union
8. Trine
9. Penn State-Behrend, but one could construct a very compelling case for Hiram. RAC will spend a lot of time on this spot, maybe more than any other spot. I think I'd personally lean Hiram.

[Fifth and Putnam]

Still not sure what to do with Marietta and John Carroll, but they're 1-2. JCU probably has the edge due to the undefeated thing and the head-to-head thing.

So for our final fake rankings before the real rankings come out, I'd go with:

1. John Carroll
2. Marietta
3. Ohio Wesleyan
4. Alma
5. Hope
6. Wooster
7. Mount Union
8. Trine
9. Penn State-Behrend, but one could construct a very compelling case for Hiram. RAC will spend a lot of time on this spot, maybe more than any other spot. I think I'd personally lean Hiram.

I like this list although I may switch Marietta and OWU. It's close though. The top 5 in my mind are the cream of the crop in the region and you could make an argument for any of them. I think Wooster, Mount, and Trine are a good 2nd tier in the region. All good teams, but have had spills during the year. I think PS-Behrend is solid for the 9 spot as I don't think Hiram is done losing before the first rankings come out. They've lost 4 of their last 6 and go out on the road for two this week. Behrend looks like smooth sailing until the final week of the season when they go to #2 Hilbert and #3 Pitt-Greensburg.

[KnightSlappy]

I went with Marietta over OWU because they (i.e. Marietta) have the a .016 SOS advantage with identical winning percentages. Marietta is also 1-0 vs. Wooster (at Wooster) while OWU is 1-1 (splitting the home and home).

I don't know if there are other head-to-heads that would come into play, didn't scour the schedules.

[Fifth and Putnam]

I went with Marietta over OWU because they (i.e. Marietta) have the a .016 SOS advantage with identical winning percentages. Marietta is also 1-0 vs. Wooster (at Wooster) while OWU is 1-1 (splitting the home and home).

I don't know if there are other head-to-heads that would come into play, didn't scour the schedules.

Both have wins over Otterbein and Capital. Moot point.

You probably know more about this than I do but what is the difference between your SOS calculation that shows Marietta having the better SOS and Massey which highlights OWU having the better SOS (in addition to Hope as well). Always wondered about those differences.

[Fifth and Putnam]

In addition to the conversation on SOS. I spoke with Dave Niland from PS-Behrend a week ago and the topic of SOS came up in regards to Behrend and the AMCC's schedule. He mentioned that a lot of games are already agreed upon games that come up with their affiliation with the ECAC. It sounds like a lot of the schedule is fixed with regional teams from the ECAC and I didn't get the impression that there is a desire to change that mind of thinking.

[sac]

Marietta's win over Catholic could prove to be the difference if they and OWU end up with the same win%.   But, I think its much more likely Marietta drops one, OWU has all its big games behind them after their trip to Wittenberg on Wednesday.  Then its all the bottom 5 teams in the NCAC.  Marietta still has to play Capital, JCU and Mt.U.   Marietta will also get a tougher conference tournament semi-final if they finish 2nd or 3rd than if OWU gets the #2 position in the NCAC.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

In addition to the conversation on SOS. I spoke with Dave Niland from PS-Behrend a week ago and the topic of SOS came up in regards to Behrend and the AMCC's schedule. He mentioned that a lot of games are already agreed upon games that come up with their affiliation with the ECAC. It sounds like a lot of the schedule is fixed with regional teams from the ECAC and I didn't get the impression that there is a desire to change that mind of thinking.

Really? I have NEVER heard a coach or anyone else reference an affiliation with the ECAC as reasons they have to play certain games. There are breaks in the season (10 days at some point) they have to keep in order to "play" in the "postseason," but never heard of having to play particular teams just because of their affiliation. That is either a cop out or a misunderstanding on someone's part and certainly something I will be now raising as a question.

[sac]

Behrend has only 24 games scheduled this year.


Non-Conference games
Last year:   Thiel, Allegheny, Fredonia, Carnegie-Mellon, Westminster, William Patterson, Misericordia
This year:    Thiel, Allegheny, Fredonia, Carnegie-Mellon, Case Western, Alfred State,   open

Only four schools advertise themselves as ECAC members,  Carnegie, Westminster, Alfred State and William Patterson.   Misericordia is also ECAC but doesn't use the logo on their website.


Even if what Coach Niland said is true there are 169 D3 institutions that are ECAC members, admittedly most are several hundred miles East of Behrend, and its not like their schedule is packed tight with ECAC schools.
http://www.ecacsports.com/inside/membership/division_III/index

[Fifth and Putnam]

In addition to the conversation on SOS. I spoke with Dave Niland from PS-Behrend a week ago and the topic of SOS came up in regards to Behrend and the AMCC's schedule. He mentioned that a lot of games are already agreed upon games that come up with their affiliation with the ECAC. It sounds like a lot of the schedule is fixed with regional teams from the ECAC and I didn't get the impression that there is a desire to change that mind of thinking.

Really? I have NEVER heard a coach or anyone else reference an affiliation with the ECAC as reasons they have to play certain games. There are breaks in the season (10 days at some point) they have to keep in order to "play" in the "postseason," but never heard of having to play particular teams just because of their affiliation. That is either a cop out or a misunderstanding on someone's part and certainly something I will be now raising as a question.

Let me step back. Again from what I got from the conversation, they have agreements in place with certain teams to play every year that are within close distance to Behrend (for example Carnegie Mellon, Thiel, Allegheny, Westminster) that they play on their schedule every year and have for several years. Coach mentioned having to take those breaks that you mentioned but I don't believe the agreements they have to do with the ECAC affiliation but more to do with the agreements with those coaches in the local area. I was wrong in my first statement and apologize for the confusion.

[Fifth and Putnam]

Looking at their past several schedules now, I notice that a lot of the teams they play OOC are ECAC members (C. Mellon, Westminster, William Patterson, Misericordia, Alfred State) . Again, I am not sure that it's a mandatory agreement because of the league that they play those games or mutually agreed upon games between coaches.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

For the third consecutive year, Hoopsville will air for 12 hours as the regular season enters the final four weeks. Dave McHugh will chat with coaches, administrators, student-athletes, and others involved in Division III basketball from around the country. Other guests will include those who have Division III roots or appreciate the division and the game along with the student-athletes who play the sport.

Hoopsville will air from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (and maybe later) on Thursday, February 4 live from the WBCA/NABC Studio. You can see what guests are scheduled, get more information, and watch the show here: http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2015-16/feb4

You can also read the press release about the show: http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/hoopsville-marathon-2016

Here is the guest list as we speak. All times are Eastern and subject to change. Additional guests to be added if and when necessary:


   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Time	Guest	School
10:15am	Connie Tilley	St. Norbert (WBB) - WBCA Center Court
10:40am	Jamie Purdy	Peidmont (WBB)
11:00am	Keri Carollo	UW-Whitewater (WBB) - Nat'l Committee Chair
11:20am	Brent Pollari	Saint Mary's (Minn.) (WBB)
11:40am	Kent Madsen	No. 21 Wheaton (Ill.) (WBB)
12:00pm	Russell Loyd	Rose-Hulman (MBB)
12:20pm	Kevin Broderick	Nazareth (MBB)
12:40pm	Justin Scott	Arcadia (MBB)
1:00pm	Sam Hargraves	No. 12 Alma (MBB)
1:20pm	Lenny Reich	Mount Union (SID)
1:40pm	Maureen Webster	Clarkson (WBB)
2:00pm	Betsy Witman	York (Pa.) (WBB)
2:20pm	Sara Lee	Denison (WBB)
2:40pm	Klay Kneuppel	Wisconsin Lutheran (MBB)
3:00pm	Brian Van Haaften	Buena Vista (MBB) - Nat'l Committee Chair
3:30pm	Sydney Moss	No. 1 Thomas More (WBB)
3:45pm	Aaron Rousell	Bucknell (WBB) - former Chicago coach
4:00pm	Tim Shanahan	Staten Island (WBB)
4:20	Pat Cunningham	Trinity (Texas) (MBB) - NABC Coach's Corner
4:50pm	Bubba Smith	Sewanee (MBB)
5:15pm	Ben Strong	Former Guilford All-American
5:30pm	Kevin Connors	ESPN SportsCenter Anchor - Ithaca alumnus
6:00pm	Kristen Dowling	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (WBB)
6:20pm	Allison Coleman	Sage (WBB)
6:40pm	Landry Kosmalski	Swarthmore (MBB)
7:00pm	Dave Niland	No. 23 Penn State-Behrend (MBB)
7:20pm	Aaron Galletta	Lasell (MBB)
7:40pm	John Baron	Gwynedd-Mercy (MBB)
8:00pm
8:20pm
8:40pm	Melissa Hodgdon	Wheaton (Mass.) (WBB)
9:00pm	G.P. Gromacki	No. 2 Amherst (WBB)
9:20pm	James Wagner
9:40pm	HAPPY HOUR	Free-for-all of calls, tweets, and fun!

We hope to get at least the full show on a podcast, or several podcast, during the on Friday. You can find it here:
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087

Don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
Twitter: @d3hoopsville or #Hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
Email: hoopsville@d3hoops.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/d3hoopsville

And a reminder the Hoopsville Fundraising Project has begun yet again. Please consider helping us cover Division III basketball the way it deserves to be covered. If you can not donate, please don't worry about - we understand. At least share the campaign with anyone you think might be interested: http://igg.me/at/hoopsville-fundraiser/x/6029509

Also, if you know any advertisers interested in promoting their company or products on the show, send them our way: hoopsville@d3hoops.com

Thanks!